Irfan Pathan lauds Virat Kohli's 84th international ton

New Delhi [India], December 4 (ANI): Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan praised Virat Kohli's fitness and focus after the veteran batter slammed his 84th international hundred in the second ODI against South Africa in Raipur on Wednesday.

The 37-year-old batter's recent performances have been remarkable, continuing where he had left off at Ranchi with a scorching 135 in 120 balls consisting of 11 fours and seven sixes. Kohli delivered a more controlled knock this time around, with a 93-ball 102 consisting of seven fours and two sixes in Raipur.

"We need to talk about Virat Kohli. A player aged 37, the way his fitness is, scoring back-to-back centuries, it shows in the way he jumps to celebrate. He jumps approximately 9 meters, showing what kind of focus he has. He started with two ducks in Australia but has scored at least 50 runs in the next three innings. After a knock of 74 runs in Australia, he has scored back-to-back tons. The challenge was different here. He understood that the pitch is slightly different here and had to play cautiously. Kohli started with a six but played cautiously whenever the ball was pitched outside off-stump," Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube channel.

Pathan reflected on Kohli's impressive batting, highlighting his ability to step out to fast bowlers and hit them with ease. Pathan was particularly impressed with Kohli's six off Marco Jansen's short ball, noting that it showcased Kohli's exceptional timing and reaction time.

"What we are seeing regularly with Kohli is that he is stepping out to fast bowlers and has plenty of time. When Kohli bats, it feels like he has plenty of time. The way he stepped out to hit Marco Jansen's short ball for six shows any other batter might not have that much time," Pathan said.

Pathan also felt that Kohli had an answer to every South African plan. He noted that the 37-year-old batter kept waiting for the ball to be pitched up in his zone and took singles and doubles effectively.

"When bowlers' gameplan changes, he also comes up with a new gameplan. He has the answer to every plan from South Africa. In the previous match, there was an off-spinner, and we saw a left-arm spinner in this game. He countered him well," Pathan added.

"He kept waiting for the ball to be pitched up, and there is also his backfoot game, taking singles and doubles effectively. Overall, his century celebrations show the old Virat Kohli has returned. The way he celebrates a wicket also shows he is back. On that aspect, it's a major positive for India in ODIs," Pathan concluded.

Virat against South Africa in ODIs is a different beast, and that beast has gone notches above statistically against the Proteas. In 33 matches and 31 innings, Virat has scored 1,741 runs at an average of 69.64 against the Proteas at a strike rate of 88.51, with seven centuries and eight fifties. This is the most centuries against the Proteas in ODI format by a batter.

However, Aiden Markram's explosive ton and well-calculated fifties from Dewald Brevis and Matthew Breetzke outshone the centuries from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Virat Kohli as the Proteas chased down 359 runs at Raipur.

With this win, the three-match ODI series is levelled at 1-1, with the series to be held on Saturday at the Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam. (ANI)

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